Developer- and Publisher-specific Articles: Creative Assembly

Halo Wars 2 received two new downloadable drops today, Serina and Operation: Spearbreaker. The first pack features Serina, the UNSC Spirit of Fire’s AI from the original Halo Wars, while the second expands the campaign with two additional missions. Serina returns in full form, despite her unfortunate fate, while the story missions expand on the main game’s plot, as players take charge of a hero squad of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers against the Banished.

Microsoft is set to kick off the Halo Summer Celebration. In the upcoming months, the studio is set to revisit several of the older titles in the line. First up is word that four titles will be added to Xbox One’s backwards compatibility library later this year: Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo 4, and Halo: CE Anniversary. Each game will support the campaign, multiplayer, and LAN play on Xbox One and between One and 360. As a bonus, every 360 add-on map pack will be free in Xbox Store. Later this year, Halo 5: Guardians will receive an update to support 4K alongside the release of Xbox One X. Halo Wars 2 is also set to get a new premium expansion this fall, Awakening the Nightmare. The add-on will feature a campaign focusing on The Banished, along with the return of the Flood and a new multiplayer mode, Terminus Firefight. Lastly, 343 will also be in attendance at several upcoming events, including RTX Austin 2017, HCS Summer Finals at DreamHack Atlanta, ChinaJoy and gamescom.

Halo Wars 2 has received a new downloadable double pack, Icons of War. The drop adds two new characters, Commander Jerome-092, the leader of Red Team aboard the UNSC Spirit of Fire, and Arbiter Ripa ‘Moramee. Jerome-092 has the ability to inspire nearby troops, conduct a Field Promotion, and deploy the Spartans of Omega Team. Unable to hijack vehicles, he can summon Command Mantis onto the field with Mech Drop. Ripa can heal nearby units while increasing their speed and damage with the Conduit of Rage ability, and trigger Arbiter’s Rage to increase his own stats.

Halo Wars 2 received its second downloadable pack, Colony. Colony is a Hunter pair that functions as a single Leader, and can be selected in every multiplayer mode. The creatures command the Banished Lekgolo on the Ark, which allows them to create and expand clusters that can control and repair vehicles. This allows Colony to tromp around the battlefield with a horde of Lekgolo-driven constructs that can be improved and healed, and if needed, reinforced with Colony Drop and Devastating Host. Friendly vehicles can also be commandeered using Vehicle Symbiotes, while nearby allies are healed with the passive ability Combat Repair.

Strategy gamers who went with the standard release of Halo Wars 2 can try their hand at battling the Covenant in the game’s predecessor with the launch of Halo Wars: Definitive Edition. The enhanced re-release is now available as a standalone purchase on Steam, Xbox Store, and Windows Store. The latest version features updated graphics, extra Achievements, all downloadable content, and support for Play Anywhere. Play Anywhere allows PC and Xbox One owners to access both versions for a single purchase.

Microsoft has released a demo for the recently launched Halo Wars 2. Gamers can currently download it for Xbox One, while the PC version should be along shortly. The trial includes the first mission, The Signal, along with access to Blitz Firefight against an AI opponent. The latter comes with a pre-built deck of cards from Captain Cutter or Atriox. The Xbox One version requires a Live Gold account.

Players are returning to the battlefield today twenty-eight years after the original Halo Wars. The real-time strategy game will find a crew awakening from cryosleep to answer a distress call that leads to a new round of warfare. Virtual commanders will find a single-player campaign as well as multiplayer that sports several modes, including Deathmatch and Stronghold. 343 Industries’ head of strategy games, Dan Ayoub, has released a final letter to thank fans and to give several others at the studio a chance to share their thoughts at launch. It’s posted below in its entirety.

Gamers who purchased the Ultimate Edition of Halo Wars 2 can now play it via early access. The 343 Industries and Creative Assembly co-developed real-time strategy game follows the events of the original Halo Wars. Set 28 years later, players awake from cryosleep to answer a distress call that kicks off a new battle. As an Xbox Play Anywhere title, gamers can play the game on PC and Xbox One, as well as a swap data between the two, with a single digital purchase. To get a better look at the game in action, over an hour of gameplay has been released as an archive from a recent stream and can be found below.

343 Industries has released the launch trailer for Halo Wars 2. The video was created by Blur, known for their ace cinematics. The sequel finds humanity struggling to recover after their victory in the first Halo Wars 28 years earlier. Captain Cutter and the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire wake up from cryosleep to find themselves orbiting a Forerunner artifact. The crew soon sets off to answer a distress call and engage in a new single-player campaign. In addition, the game will come with several multiplayer modes, including Deathmatch, Domination, and Strongholds.